Sean Dyche said training schedules and pre-season routines had been among the topics examined as staff try to work out why his squad is suffering so many injuries
Everton have sought an explanation for the injury issues that have plagued the start of the season – including reviewing the club’s approach to pre-season. The Blues have been dealt blow after blow across the opening weeks of a campaign in which Sean Dyche has changed his back line for every match.
Set against the backdrop of the longer term problems faced by the likes of Jarrad Branthwaite and Nathan Patterson, the minor complaints have repeatedly disrupted preparations for games.
That was again the case in the build up to the draw with Newcastle United at the weekend. Branthwaite, who had made his long-awaited return from a groin operation seven days earlier, was absent due to an unrelated quad issue. Vitalii Mykolenko was another late withdrawal after the Ukraine international picked up a calf problem.
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As a result, the defence underwent three changes from the win over Crystal Palace, with Michael Keane and James Garner entering the starting line-up and Ashley Young switching from right back to left back.
Dyche, whose pre-season includes his notorious ‘Gaffer’s Day’ fitness challenge, said he was particularly pleased with the point given the injury issues. Asked whether there had been any exploration for answers over why so many minor problems were hampering his plans, he said: “We’ve looked at varying things. We have looked at training schedules, we have looked at pre-season, at bodies coming back late and at different times of pre-season because they needed a rest from different competitions.
“You are trying to look at all of that and it’s difficult because we carry a thin squad because of the financial side [of the club].”
One of the key problem areas has been at full back, an area Everton were unable to strengthen in the summer. That has led to some scrutiny from supporters due to the long term issues faced by the club with Patterson, Seamus Coleman and Mykolenko having endured repeated setbacks.
Everton chiefs including director of football Kevin Thelwell acknowledge work during the summer transfer window did not solve every problem but firmly believe they did what they could to solve myriad issues and ultimately improve the squad while operating within financial and regulatory constraints.
There is a belief there are enough options to overcome the rigours of the season in that position, including a view that versatile midfielder James Garner can offer cover on the right of the defence. That view was bolstered by the 23-year-old’s solid display against Harvey Barnes in that position on Saturday night.
The international break could end with the comebacks of Coleman, who is dealing with a calf problem and Patterson, who has now played three consecutive Under-21 games on the long road back from hamstring surgery. Dyche said he was hopeful of Branthwaite being available for the trip to Ipswich Town the Blues resume with, while Mykolenko’s issue is also believed to be minor.
But given Patterson has had a serious injury in each of his three seasons at Everton, Mykolenko has now had five separate periods on the sidelines since April and that Coleman has faced persistent issues over recent years, Ashley Young and Garner may well be called on to act as cover again. There could also be further opportunities for Roman Dixon, the academy right back who made his debut at Tottenham Hotspur then started the Carabao Cup defeat to Southampton due to suspension and injuries.
There have been setbacks elsewhere too. James Tarkowski – a player renowned for his physical resilience – has suffered two injury issues this summer while Abdoulaye Doucoure and Idrissa Gueye missed games in pre-season, though both have been fit since the campaign began.
Illness also savaged the squad during the week that saw Everton face Southampton then Leicester City, while Gueye was given leave following the death of his father. Longer-term absentees include Youssef Chermiti, who required surgery on a foot injury after a brilliant start to pre-season and loan-signing Armando Broja.
Some weight is given to the culture Dyche has worked to instil at Finch Farm. The manager oversees a “no heroes” policy and has stressed the importance of players speaking up at the earliest sign of a problem. The caution deployed in trying to prevent minor issues from becoming more serious can be a factor in short-term absences, as explained to the ECHO by head of performance Mark Howard during pre-season.
“When the gaffer says there are no heroes, he really means it,” Howard said. “The challenge is just differentiating between soreness and the edge of an injury. We have got a great collection of staff that are all working together for that – that is through the medical staff, the insights guys, the analysis staff and the sports science staff. We are talking together every day at the start and at the end, so communication and organisation is absolutely critical so that we’re all aware of the things that are going on and looking at scenarios where we do maybe just need to pull someone out of part of a session or a full session so that we know they’re ready for the next one.”
That policy has been employed with a degree of success in the past, including with the return to sustained fitness of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who had been blighted by injury before the arrival of Dyche.
After the Newcastle match the Blues boss did acknowledge the situation at the start of this campaign had been more challenging than normal, however.
He said: “It’s unusual to get this many injuries and there has not really been too many really serious ones, which is more frustrating. If you get a serious one, there’s not a lot you can do. But these ones have been, you know, 10 days, two weeks – but too many at once and it’s been hard trying to piece that together and stay resolute to the cause. But I think the mentality is growing again and the way the team is operating is growing again to make sure we look after ourselves.”